RIOT FEST DAY 3… Soggy Sunday or… It’s Over Already? Really?!?!? We Will See You Next Year!

Riot Fest Day 3
I deemed day 3 of our Riot Fest journey as “Soggy Sunday” because oh boy it would not stop raining. But as they say in show biz, the show must go on. It was pretty incredible seeing how much it could rain in the bursts that it did as someone who is an absolute desert rat. Which also meant that neither of us were prepared for the rain. We were however super lucky to borrow a camera from our friend in Chicago, Chris! So luckily we were able to get shots to share with you here at ZrockR!

Nekrogoblikon
The band I was most excited to see was definitely Nekrogoblikon. Listen man if you put a goblin on stage and play some heavy chords behind him I’m there, no questions asked whatsoever. This was my first time seeing them in person as someone who doesn’t necessarily frequent the metal scene in general this was seriously the most fun I think I’ve had in a long long time.

Swingin Utters
For more of that classic Cali punk sound, we got the Swingin Utters. Drawing inspiration from bands like The Clash, Sex Pistols and Stiff Little Fingers to name a few, these guys came out swingin’! Another Fat Wreck Records band they rocked out on the NOFX stage and almost started a riot with how big that pit was! They opened with “The Librarians are Hiding Something” followed up with hits like “Windspitting Punk” and finished off with their most popular song “Five Lessons Learned”. Loved seeing these guys kill it live and hope to catch them again in the future!

Mastodon
So I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t really listen to metal, like at all. However I do think that my mind might’ve been changed at this festival. Mastodon swept me away and left me incredibly impressed with their complex chords and both somehow easy listening and head-banging-pyro-blasting sound. You could just tell how much this band is thoroughly loved with the amount of people that were all head banging in unison. It was such a treat for me to see how loved this band was, even in the pouring rain they had a massive crowd that almost moved as one organism.

GWAR
Coming from the grossest, most vile, most disgusting corners of the universe we welcome GWAR! This was one of THE bands to see here on this wet and soggy Riot Fest day. A lil rain didn’t stop these guys from murdering several celebs on stage, including the likeness of pop icon Taylor Swift. Not even our photographer was safe from being “GWARd” as he returned from the photo pit looking like he just walked out of a particularly gory scene from Kill Bill. We were also lucky enough to catch a few words with Sawborg Destructo so keep an eye out for our killer interview.

Laura Jane Grace w/ Catbite
People for years have been begging for an Op-Ivy reunion. If this set was as close as that as we get, it will have been worth it because they knocked it out of the park. Punk legend herself Laura Jane Grace collabed with the up and coming ska band out of Philadelphia, Catbite to put together one of the most fun sets here at Riot Fest over the weekend. It was really fun seeing LJG out there doing ska since I know that’s not usually her speed, especially with the super fun Catbite to back her up. If you’ve never checked out the either of them on their own, I highly recommend doing so and giving them a good listen. Can’t wait to see if everyone continues to collab in the future!!

Lamb of God
Lamb of God, Alex was especially excited for both to listen to and to shoot. Lamb of God knows how to really bring the energy and headbanging to this particular Soggy Sunday. The rain stopped just enough to enjoy this set but there were plenty of wet long-haired heads headbanging to this set. Alex recalled the sheer amount of crowdsurfers inspired by this set especially once “Walk With Me in Hell” was played. Of course they ended their set with “Redneck” which paired perfectly with Randy’s “Redneck” shirt he was wearing.

Oliver Tree
I never thought I would see some JNCO jeans in real life ever, well that all changed when Oliver Tree scootered (is that the correct term?) onto stage with his JNCO jeans, iconic 90’s windbreaker and bowl cut that seemed to keep escaping him, literally. Combining several genres from indie, to rap to RnB, Tree has nothing short of a unique sound and a sense of humor that brings fans together. Definitely one to check out if you like songs about heartbreak in an upbeat fashion and a sense of humor that doesn’t seem to match but somehow works.

Slayer
For the main event of our final day here at Riot Fest, the iconic Gods of Thrash Metal, Slayer took to the stage and absolutely murdered it! Before the show started a documentary of the band played, citing the formation of the band in 1981, and some of the hardships they went through to become the sound we know today. With excellent stage production they started with a curtain drop and a literal bang of pyrotechnics before coming to the stage. The massive crowd was mesmerizing to watch with all the headbanging happening in unison. The energy was insane watching this show, even off to the side like I was.

Just as you thought the band was going to step off stage, for the encore they lit up a massive upside down cross on fire and shredding to the metal gods above (or below?). I would expect nothing less from the giants that Slayer is within the metal scene. They finished with “Angel of Death” to round out their twenty song set list.

We know that Slayer no longer tours and rarely does shows but we are so excited to see what’s in the future for the band! Editor’s note: Kerry King has already embarked on his solo venture and will be on tour again early next year. Gary Holt will continue to be a staple in Exodus.

See Ya Next Year!

We do have some sad news to share that a festival attendee did pass away related to injuries he sustained during the festival. We at ZRockR send our deepest condolences to his family, friends and all loved ones. We ask as a community to keep him in your thoughts.

Throughout everything we did manage to enjoy a lot of the stuff the festival did have to offer, such as all the amazing food stands (except the one that almost killed Alex but I won’t name names) and awesome assortment of vendors to shop around at. Our personal favorites were the noodle shop, and the Chicago native brand, the ever tasty, Malort.

Also, fun fact for those who have never been to Riot Fest before, they have their own drink line! Alcoholic and non!! Our favorite flavor was the zero percent “Cherry On!”. With “Nothing Rhymes With Orange” as a strong second, and an honorable mention since it did not come in non-alcoholic was “Du-Mango 95”. All were exceptionally tasty and we found ourselves going back for several.

There were dozens of vendors to buy from, local Chicago businesses, universal monster merch, and even a vintage Riot Fest merchandise booth. Truthfully my only complaint against the entire festival was the merch line for the bands and how purely chaotic it was. I don’t like having to wait in line for an hour only to be told that the one item I wanted was sold out or not available in my size. I much prefer individual artist booths so I’m not stuck in line and can spend more time out and about. We were however, super lucky to score one of the last special edition ALL x Descendents Blues Brothers inspired shirts.

We also checked out the circus performances from Hellzapoppin, caught the tail end of some wrestling and even got to see some people shredding it on the half pipe that I failed to mention earlier! It was impossible to be bored or find nothing to do, which was one of my favorite things about the festival itself.
There was so much to do and see at this festival that it was impossible to see it all. I can’t believe how much fun I had and I really hope we’re able to come back and do it all again next year (without all the camera problems) for their twentieth anniversary!

Thank you so much RiotFest!!

PHOTO CREDIT: All Live Photos by Alex Sanchez for ZRockR Magazine (c) 2024- All Rights Reserved